Guterres urges faster climate action and fossil fuel phaseout

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged governments at COP31 on Wednesday to accelerate climate action, phase out fossil fuels and expand clean energy, warning that the response to rising emissions and temperatures was too slow.

“The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us,” Guterres told world leaders gathered in Antalya, Turkey. He said the slow international response had put the world on a path to destruction and pointed to rising emissions, global temperatures and worsening climate-related disasters. He also urged governments to fight harder, saying science did not call for surrender.

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are seeking an agreement on increasing electricity’s share of global energy use and reviving efforts to move away from fossil fuels. Guterres called for a faster transition to clean energy, while Turkey is promoting an electrification target for a final deal.

The Turkish proposal aims to raise electricity to 35% of global energy consumption by 2035, from a little over one-fifth now. It does not require new electricity to come from clean sources. The proposed target is not yet an agreed commitment, and the final terms of any deal remain...